Master Recipe for Cooking Beans

1 lb. of beans=2 cups
1 cup dry=3 cups cooked
8 hours soak time with room temperature water (discard water after soaking)
1 hour cook time

Ingredients:
¾ to 1 cup small dried beans (1/4 to ½” long)
4 cups filtered water for soaking
6 cups liquid (un-salted stock or more filtered water with any or all of the following aromatics: 3 dried bay leaves; 2 whole cloves, allspice; 1 tsp. dried chile flake, mustard seed, coriander; 1 stick cinnamon )
Optional: finely chopped onion, carrot, celery and/or garlic

Directions:
Rinse beans in cold, running water in a fine sieve. Discard any small stones or discolored beans. Soak beans in water at least 8 hours or overnight.

Drain beans and discard the soaking water. Rinse the beans again. In a large saucepan or medium-sized stockpot, bring stock or un-salted and seasoned water to a boil with the beans. When it has reached a high boil, skim the surface of the beans with a ladle to remove any foam. Let the beans cook at a high boil for about three minutes, skimming any foam as it rises. Turn the heat down and cover with a lid tipped slightly to allow some steam to escape.

In the last ten minutes of cooking, add a few pinches of salt (taste the water; it should be salty but not overly so.)

Alternately, cook your beans, covered, in an oven at 325 F. Cook until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Yield: 3 cups beans.